Most of the children were either orphans or internally displaced children who had undergone all kinds of trauma. It had been quite some time since these children had access to such a nice, warm and healthy meal. One thing that really stood out from the first event was the very evident joy on the faces of all ages, regardless of the tragedies they had endured.

A number of Christmas for Refugees events were held in Jordan this year. At one of the Christmas parties, every single one of the children present was from Iraq. In Qaraqosh the party lasted almost four hours, with different types of entertainment and of course all pointing to the real reason for Christmas, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Christian population in Bethlehem is no longer self-sustaining. It is with that understanding that Christmas for Refugees agreed to hold a Christmas party for 800 Christian children still living in the Bethlehem and Beit Sahour area, to bring some joy to the shrinking Christian population. Read more about our journey to the Holy Land.

The first Christmas for Refugees Christmas party was held on December 14 in Qaraqosh and had 546 children in attendance. In all, more than 1,500 children attended the three events held this year in Iraq. Every event was centered on Jesus, from coloring contests to puppet shows.

In all, the Christmas program for 2018 will serve nearly 10,000 children. There were four Christmas events for children the first week of December. Of those four, two were held by brand new churches founded by Syrian refugees.

Christmas for Refugees

Christmas events for Iraqi and Syrian Christian refugee children began in Jordan In 2013 and expanded to Lebanon in 2014 and Iraq in 2015. In 2017 the Christmas program was introduced at a Christian orphanage in Nigeria. The Christmas programs last several hours and include Gospel themed puppet shows, games, and Christmas carols. Gospel themed coloring books and work books are distributed to the children who also receive a meal. Each child takes home a gift to the family of food staples, hygiene product packages and/or blankets depending upon region.